This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

I'm not sure what the photographer was aiming at in this photo, but he was apparently way more interested in those bent palm trees than the futuristic moon rocket. The little wire garden fences look a bit ridiculous, don't they? The Imagineers should have installed laser beam perimeters that would remove the limb of anybody foolish enough to attempt to walk where they shouldn't be walking. I call it "tough love". Looks like there might be a show going on at the Flight Circle, but it is too far away to glean any details.

The Pirate Ship looks swell here; I wonder if any real pirate ship looked even half as cool back in the good old days on the Spanish Main? I think Howard Pyle had more to do with this one.

True: the wire looks ridiculous. Or seems to. It's... an ultra-modern absurbist artistic statement! Yeah. Yet I'm drawn into that picture in part thanks to its very incidental perspective. How 'bout Ruth on the left, in her '40s/'50s hair, black heels and pink dress. One thing in common between '57 and today: Tomorrowland is relatively ragged. But it's a beautiful sunny Cal day in that pic isn't it? I'd still love to be there.

Regarding the first photo, maybe the photographer was from back East and really admired all the Bird of Paradise plants? Or...maybe it was a teenage boy and he was checking out the attractive lady on the left? LOL...

But it's interesting (well, to me) to consider a non-Disneyland difference between then and now: unlike the ubiquitous digital cameras and cell cameras etc of today, in 1957 not every teenager had access to any kind of camera let alone film and processing - and even fewer would be working in quality color transparencies. Safe to say most of the photos we enjoy on Gorillas, Daveland etc were taken by adult males and more than a few of those shutterbugs by hobby. Besides, if it was a teenager taking these, the perspective would have been radically shifted toward Miss Pink. ;)

Yes, that is Walt's personal car. I remember it being on display for quite a while, but later moved under the covered area of the art exhibit (at the right). The weather was getting to it. It didn't last long there.

the first thing that i noticed is that there are none of the yellow/white striped benches around any of these planters. that seems odd because in many photos we see benches everywhere/anywhere one could be placed makes it like barren :(